Amidst the buzz over the quadrilateral grouping with the US, Japan and Australia as a counter to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday came out strongly in support of a safe, secure and free navigation in the Indo-Pacific region and for adherence to rule of law and international arbitration.
On the sidelines of the India-Asean and East Asia Summits, he also spoke of regional peace and security to counter the scourge of terrorism, including cross-border terror.
The Indian stand on freedom of navigation was made clear during a series of meetings Modi had with leaders of Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, on the sidelines of the summit meetings here.
Modi’s forthright expression of views on free navigation in the Indo-Pacific region assumes significance in the context of concerns a number of countries have over China’s belligerence and attempts to dominate the South China Sea.
India, the US and Japan want Australia to be part of the quadrilateral initiative to keep China under check. Officials of these countries met here for the first time on Sunday though a formal summit has not taken place